crop up
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To turn up in the course of conversation. "It CROPPED UP while we were speaking."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “crop up” mean?
To turn up in the course of conversation. "It CROPPED UP while we were speaking."
Is “crop up” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.